Washington and Colorado marijuana legalization laws go into effect,
former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter speak out against the
global drug war in a new documentary, and the UN General Assembly plans
a Special Session on drug policy in this week's psychedelic news.

Early bird registration for MAPS' Psychedelic Science 2013 conference is available until December 21. (MAPS)

"Breaking the Taboo," a new documentary against the global war on drugs, premiered at the Google headquarters in New York City and is available to stream free online. (Politico, Death and Taxes)

Australia's "The Age" asks why MDMA (the main ingredient in ecstasy) is illegal when health experts say it is less harmful than alcohol to both the individual and society. (The Age)

"The Zone" argues that the widespread demonization of drug use is often hypocritical and borders on collective hysteria. Citing the failure of the drug war, it argues that an emphasis on health over criminality is the best route forward. (The Age)

A powerful committee of British Members of Parliament argued that Britain is losing the war on drugs and should consider the radical option of legalization. (Daily Mail)

Jamen Shively, a former Microsoft executive, has decided to build a retail marijuana business that he hopes will bring legitimacy to the industry. The buisness will be named after his great-grandfather, Diego Pellicer, who was the world's largest marijuana producer in the late 19th century. (Kiro TV)

A CBS News poll found that 59% of Americans think that marijuana's legal status should be determined by the states rather than the federal government. This number includes 65% of responding Republicans and 49% of those who oppose legalizing marijuana in general. (Drug Policy Alliance)

Speaking to a CNN panel, former US President Jimmy Carter stated that he is in favor of marijuana legalization. (NORML)

Marijuana was officially legalized in Washington state as the law passed by voters on Election Day went into effect. (Drug Policy Alliance)

The Seattle Police Department has told its 1300+ officers that until
further notice, officers should not take any enforcement action, other
than issuing a verbal warning, against public marijuana use. (SPD Blotter, Seattle Times)

Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use on Monday 12/10, when Gov. John Hickenlooper signed an "official declaration of the vote" related to Amendment 64. The governor opposed the measure but had no veto power. Although he had until Jan. 5 to declare marijuana legal, he took the purposely low-key procedural step without forewarning the media in order to avoid a countdown to legalization as seen in Washington, where the law's supporters gathered to smoke in public to celebrate. (Huffington Post)

Nearly three years after New Jersey legalized medical marijuana, the state's first dispensary opened on 10/6, but Philly420 columnist Chris Goldstein cautions that New Jersey's medical marijuana regulations are the toughest in the nation. (Philly420, Philadelphia Inquirer)

The New York Times cites a growing list of vocally pro-cannabis female pop stars, connecting the public's support of marijuana law reform to a parallel increase in support among women voters. (NY Times)

The UN General Assembly approved a resolution presented by Mexico to hold a Special Session on drugs. The last UN General Assembly Special Session on drugs took place 14 years ago, in 1998, also at the initiative of Mexico. (Drug Policy Alliance)

British professor Andrew Wilson debunks the "Mayan Apocalypse," arguing that the December 21 date came out of a 1975 book by Terence McKenna and lacks any significant longer history beyond its New Age popularization. (Yahoo, Global Post)

"The Karl Ferris Psychedelic Experience," a retrospective of one of the pioneers of 60s and 70s photography, opened at the Proud Camden art gallery in London. (The Upcoming)

In a series of anecdotes about the U.S. Army's chemical research program on American soldiers during the Cold War, Gawker recounts how Colonel James Ketchum encountered a barrel filled with a billion dollars worth of LSD. (Gawker, New Yorker, NPR)

LA Music Blog reviews the top ten psychedelic albums of 2012. (LA Music Blog)

Two boys in Pennsylvania, aged 7 and 10, were rushed to a hospital after inadvertently taking liquid "LSD" from a bottle of breath mint drops they found on the ground. (Yahoo News, Pocono Record, Daily Mail)

A Peruvian shaman was arrested after a mother and daughter were given ayahuasca and ended up in the hospital. (Trompe)

"This Week in Psychedelics" is a Reality Sandwich column that follows
the multifaceted media appearances of this class of chemicals and their
effects in popular culture. Share your psychedelic news links on the facebook page or twitter.

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychedelics" does not censor or analyze
the "news" links presented here. The purpose of this blog is to
catalogue how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which
includes everything from the latest scientific research to
misinformation. This presentation format encourages an open dialogue,
and allows for misinformation to be noticed and addressed by interested
and informed parties. We provide the content; you provide the analysis
and debate.

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About the Author

Contributing Editor. Nese Devenot, MA is a doctoral candidate studying psychedelic philosophy in the Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the founder of the Psychedemia psychedelics conference.